Profit-taking drags CSE down

By Almas Equities Research 

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) closed on a negative note today, with the All Share Price Index (ASPI) declining by 71.78 points (-0.34%) to settle at 20,990.67, while the S&P SL20 shed 43.75 points (-0.72%) to close at 6,027.61. Despite a brief upward movement in early trading, profit-taking activity weighed on market sentiment. Market turnover stood at LKR 7.53 Bn, with a total share volume of 311.49 Mn shares traded.

Crossings contributed significantly, accounting for LKR 1.94 Bn or nearly 26% of the day’s turnover, led primarily by ALUM.N, which generated LKR 1.28 Bn from 71.24 Mn shares. Sector-wise, Materials dominated activity, contributing around 33% of total market turnover. Market breadth reflected mixed investor sentiment, with 79 counters advancing, while 139 declined, dragging the overall index lower.

Among the top positive contributors, CARG.N, CTHR.N, AHUN.N, SPEN.N, and SIRA.N helped cushion losses with steady trading. On the downside, CTC.N, SAMP.N, NDB.N, COMB.N, and JKH.N exerted notable pressure on the indices. Meanwhile, strong trading interest was observed in ALUM.N, while ETWO.N stood out with a sharp price gain of 23.89%, underscoring selective investor appetite in fundamentally driven counters.